Apologetics

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HAPPY REFORMATION DAY! (belatedly):

"Let us emphasize again that the Reformation was no golden age; and our eyes should not turn back to it as if it were to be our perfect model. People have never carried out the biblical teaching perfectly. Nonetheless, wherever the biblical teaching has gone, even though it has always been marred by men, it not only has told of an open approach to God through the work of Christ, but also has brought peripheral results in society, including political institutions."

~ Dr. Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live?

The Reformation came about in the 16th century when, instead of following the Bible, the clergy used the church for their own selfish, sinful pleasures. They instead of God, was worshipped. When people were wronged, they had nowhere to go for justice except the fox who was guarding the henhouse.

Since the early church, worldly ways have polluted the faith. The Reformation marked a major revolution in the church - to return to the apolistic church, which preached salvation by faith alone. Since then, the church has needed constantly reforming.

The Reformation positively influenced society. One thing it had going for it that there were absolutes - something was either right or wrong. And it created a system of equal protection of the law. This means that the sames rules apply, whether you are a priest, an alterboy, a shepherd, a cake baker, a US President or a US President wannabe...

"For there is no respecter of persons with God." Romans 2:11

It takes time for ideas to get from the thinkers, in some cases eggheads, into everyday life. It's similar in science, religion and philosophy. I once heard a saying "Common sense is the wake left behind science."

The modernist philosophy of nutcases such as Virgina Wolf worked it's way into society in the early 20th century and even into the church, as was the case, for example, of the Presbyterian theological seminary, Princeton.

Is it just a coincidence America was so morally and financially poor in the 1920s and 30s and the churches became infested with modernist, liberal worldly preaching? That's a rhetorical question.

"Modernism, in general, includes the activities and creations of those who felt the traditional forms of art, architecture, literature, religious faith, philosophy, social organization, activities of daily life, and even the sciences, were becoming ill-fitted to their tasks and outdated in the new economic, social, and political environment of an emerging fully industrialized world." -Expedia.com

America no longer has a Reformed, or even Christian consensus. Is it just a coincidence that we have all the rampant shootings and and that vitreolic anger errupts just when people disagree with someone? 

A modern book I recently read, Dealing With Difficult People, by Charles Keating, gave me a window into why people act the way they do today. They don't take an honest, sober look as Christians strive to do.

In the Chapter Difficult People in Groups, referencing an “expert” the author writes “He suggests that accurate perception of others within a group is not desirable if we are seeking the best means to healthy and productive interpersonal relationships within the group.” Quoting the source: “…accurate, objective but unfavorable perceptions may be less desirable for many good relationships than inaccurate but favorable perceptions. Most people want to be accepted for what they would like to be, not for what they really are.” Keating expounds: “In this context he asks whether a child, viewed by his or her parents accurately as stubborn and disobedient, will relate better within the family than the child who is received inaccurately (my emphasis) as charming, well-behaved and intelligent.”

"Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world." 1 Corinthians 11:28-32

The church, and us, constantly needs to submit to God and His commands. We are ultimately accountible for our own walk with God. We need to be held to God's, not the world's standards.

And what is the greatest command?  He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

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